Editor's note: Belunn Se, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a senior industry observer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province in China. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The theme of the ongoing 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland – "The Spirit of Dialogue" – carries particular weight. Humanity stands at a critical historical juncture. The convergence of increasingly complex global challenges, rapid technological breakthroughs and profound adjustments in global governance structures is pointing toward an emerging new world order.

Against this backdrop, a question more urgent than ever comes to the fore: In an age defined by accelerating intelligence, how can cooperation – rather than confrontation – ensure that innovation genuinely serves shared global prosperity?

While humanity faces a range of interconnected challenges, from climate stress to geopolitical fragmentation, a common lesson has become clear. Unilateral approaches are insufficient. The complexity of today's risks, combined with the speed of technological change, has turned cooperation from an aspirational principle into a structural requirement of global development.

These dynamics are especially visible in global manufacturing. Manufacturing is entering a new cycle marked by slower growth, intensified competition and growing divergence across regions. The sector has not stagnated, but its underlying rules have changed.

Post-pandemic demand normalization, demographic shifts, geopolitical frictions, technology controls and green transition pressures are converging. Manufacturing competition is no longer defined primarily by scale or cost efficiency. Instead, it has evolved into a long-term contest over technological depth, supply chain security, standards-setting and strategic resilience.

Accordingly, the logic of global supply chains is being fundamentally reshaped. Governments and enterprises are moving away from an exclusive focus on lowest-cost optimization toward a stronger emphasis on control, redundancy and resilience. Critical equipment, advanced materials and core software are increasingly treated as strategic assets, subject to regulatory oversight and geopolitical considerations. Technical standards and certification systems are emerging as powerful, if often invisible, barriers that restructure global industrial division.

At the same time, accelerated decarbonization is raising entry thresholds, with "green barriers" increasing compliance costs and disproportionately affecting developing economies and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Sustainable development is therefore entering a more demanding phase. Slower poverty reduction, rising energy transition costs, ecological constraints and social equity concerns have pushed the global development agenda into what many describe as a "deep-water zone."

Progress in clean energy, green finance, low-carbon technologies and the circular economy increasingly depends on cross-border coordination, shared rules and collective responsibility. Without cooperation, innovation risks remaining fragmented and uneven, limiting its long-term impact.

Against this backdrop, the new wave of technological revolution, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), has amplified both opportunity and urgency. AI is rapidly penetrating research, manufacturing, healthcare, finance and public governance, reshaping production models and institutional structures.

Productivity gains are substantial, yet the risks are equally significant: Algorithmic bias, data security vulnerabilities, labor displacement, technological concentration and governance gaps are becoming shared global concerns.

These risks are unevenly distributed. Technological progress has not automatically delivered balanced development. In many cases, it has intensified divergence. Global disparities in digital infrastructure remain pronounced, with uneven access to 5G networks, industrial Internet platforms and computing power.

In some regions, basic connectivity remains limited. Even within individual economies, gaps in digital transformation between large firms and small- and medium-sized enterprises are widening, with efficiency gains increasingly concentrated among market leaders. Preventing technological divides from solidifying into structural development gaps has become a central governance challenge of the intelligent age.

At the same time, the nature of global technological competition is undergoing a qualitative shift. In November 2025, the United States announced the launch of the "Genesis Mission" to create a national AI-powered science platform, linking supercomputers, data and labs to drive innovation, boost scientific discovery and strengthen security. This has elevated AI-accelerated scientific discovery to a national strategic priority.  

Unlike earlier waves of AI development focused on general-purpose applications, this initiative aims to deeply integrate AI into foundational scientific and industrial domains, including materials science, energy systems, advanced manufacturing, biomedicine and semiconductors. Its objective is to systematically reconfigure research paradigms by embedding AI across the entire innovation chain.  

This signals a broader transformation in global competition, from isolated technological breakthroughs toward comprehensive systemic capability. AI is being embedded directly into scientific workflows, linking data, computing power, models and experimental platforms.  

As a result, the cycle from hypothesis generation to engineering validation is being dramatically compressed. While this integration promises substantial productivity gains, it also raises new demands for global governance, knowledge sharing and coordination of rules to manage cross-border spillovers and systemic risks.

Even more forward-looking frontier domains are also advancing at an accelerated pace. Space-based computing, space solar power, nuclear fusion and commercial spaceflight are advancing rapidly. The exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond is gaining momentum, guiding us toward the stars and the boundless cosmos.  

The scale of investment, technical complexity and coordination required for these endeavors far exceeds the capacity of any single nation or institution. They signal humanity's transition from the industrial age into the intelligent age, redefining the spatial boundaries of development. At such a historical moment, cooperation is not merely an efficiency choice, but a prerequisite for the continuity of civilization.

Within this global context, China's development transition carries particular significance. The drivers of China's growth are shifting from scale expansion toward innovation-led advancement. International competition is increasingly defined by technological depth and system-level capability rather than cost advantages alone.  

China has been powered with a strong engine to scale up innovation through engineering and industrialization advantages. Cost-effective electric vehicles and green photovoltaics are its strong demonstrations. However, sustaining long-term competitiveness requires strengthening original innovation and building a high-level, resilient innovation ecosystem.

In response, recommendations for China's 15th Five-Year Plan places the enhancement of the national innovation system at the center of its development strategy. By reinforcing basic research and improving pathways from research to application, China aims to deepen the integration of technological and industrial innovation. This approach is intended not only to support domestic high-quality development, but also to contribute to global technological progress and industrial cooperation.  

China's evolving role in AI governance is particularly noteworthy. If AI is the most consequential general-purpose technology of the current era, data is its essential resource. Yet this resource is generated by real people – through communication, behavior, images and emotional expression – often without explicit awareness of its downstream use. As a result, data security, privacy protection and ethical use have become central governance issues in the intelligent age.

Over the past decade, AI development was largely confined to laboratories, research institutions and technology firms. Since 2025, however, AI has moved decisively into everyday life. Algorithms increasingly shape the information people consume, the tools they use at work and the opportunities they can access. As technological deployment accelerates, governance mechanisms must evolve accordingly.

China's approach to AI governance is moving from principle-based guidance toward more institutionalized and systematic frameworks. From a participant in global AI governance discussions, China is gradually becoming a contributor to governance pathways and rule formation. The objective is not to constrain innovation, but to ensure that technological progress remains aligned with human dignity, fairness and long-term security.

Ultimately, advancing shared global prosperity is the defining purpose of innovation in the intelligent age. Technology can sustain its legitimacy only when its benefits extend broadly across societies.  

Whether through digital empowerment in developing economies, green technologies supporting global decarbonization, or space technologies expanding humanity's collective future, trust, cooperation and shared responsibility remain indispensable.

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